Jake’s Network of Hope partners with other 501c3 nonprofits, school-based and faith-based groups who directly serve vulnerable people in our communities. This means our work supports diverse community needs, from foster care to afterschool programs, family needs and domestic abuse shelters, refugee work, poverty support, health programs and more. These collaborations mean partners can re-allocate time and money to instead focusing on their programs, while meeting human needs in the community.
We want to highlight the many ways our partners are making a difference for those most vulnerable individuals, many of whom are neighbors, peers, co-workers or connected to us in unknown ways. Poverty is more commonplace than we often think, and financial strain can often be situational and temporary. Our work ensures every individual experiencing hardship can still have their basic needs cared for and feel a sense of self worth.
Explore the stories of all 12 of our 200+ community partners by visiting this link.
Our warehouse is always a busy place to be: partners browsing the Hope Hub; staff sorting and restocking products; and volunteers helping out with all of the above! As of October 2022, we were lucky to have more than 6,700 hours of volunteer service to support Jake’s operations. Those volunteers often include groups from corporations, schools and more.
Among those groups continues to be students from Youth Go, a non-profit youth drop-in center founded in 1969 by youth and supportive adults looking for a safe gathering place. Located on the border of Neenah and Menasha, Youth Go is attended by youth of all family, socio-economic and cultural backgrounds, and the diversity among participants makes the center a very unique place. A special emphasis is placed on recruiting youth who are underserved by traditional after-school activities or who are “in most need” of its services.
Youth Go has been volunteering with Jake’s for about 3.5 years, with groups donating time monthly. Youth Program Assistant Angie Henry said the volunteers always feel valued during their time at Jake’s.
“They always welcome us back with open arms and awesome volunteer opportunities,” she said.
Youth Go has also made use of Jake’s My Neighbor Wisconsin Hope Hub Resource center to support families in need during the holidays.
“Youth Go has been able to utilize the Hope Hub by picking up items before the winter holidays for our youth and families the past two years,” Angie said, ”and we are very grateful for that!”
Learn more about volunteering here.
Donate today to provide personal hygiene and basic care needs to families during the holiday season. On our donation page, you can choose a category to ensure your gift goes towards projects aligned with your personal interests, mission or passion.